A big piece of rock

Well this is boring.

Egypt was not living up to the tourist hype.

After catching the ferry back from Elephantine Island, I flagged a taxi and headed up towards the unfinished obelisk.

This was apparently one of the main attractions of Aswan.  Had it been completed, it would have been the biggest obelisk in Egypt.  Unfortunately for the Egyptians, a flaw was revealed in the stone during its construction and so it remained unfinished.

I arrived at the site of this abandoned quarry, I paid my admission and I walked in towards the obelisk.

The heat was intense and its reflection off the rock below made it even more oppressive.  I slipped on my sunglasses, but that was still largely ineffective as the glare made its way up underneath the lenses.

 A brief walk later and I was standing in front of the object of my endeavours.  I was surrounded by a few small tour groups who were busily posing and taking their photos.

All for this big piece of rock.

I walked around it.  I took the obligatory photos and I tried to be interested in what it was.

Once again, there was nothing.

My lack of interest in Egyptian antiquity was becoming very difficult to overcome.  Without this underlying interest, it was not possible for me to build the necessary excitement over something like this unfinished obelisk.  I was sure that there was more of a story behind its existence, but I didn't really care.

For me, this was just an unfinished piece of rock in an abandoned quarry.